dickersos



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

No Model.)

B. N. DIOKERSON. PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ILLUMINATING GAS.

Patented Feb, 25, 1896:

INVENTOR WITNESSES:

mmowmmwsmusmu. D c

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

PROCESS OP AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ILLUMINATING GAS- N0. 555,212. Patented P55. 25, 1896 A mvamon WITNESSES:

ANDH a GRANAM PHOTO ImIOYWASHINGrmLDL NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWVARD N. DIOKERSON, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING lLLUMlNATlNG-GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,212, dated February 25, 1896.

Application filed January 9, 1895. Serial No. 584,285. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD N. DICKERSON, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Processes of and Apparatus for the Production of Illuminating-Gas, of which the following is a full, true, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawmgs.

This invention relates to an improved pro cess of increasing the illuminating power of gas and mechanism for carrying the same into effect, and it is especially applicable to the addition of acetylene gas, in a determined percentage, to air or a combustible gas. If acetylene as an enricher is added to watergas, the illumination at first is very high, but after a few hours decreases. It is, therefore, practically impossible to enrich water-gas at the works by acetylene and thereafter supply such enriched gas through the mains.

My invention is primarily designed to supply the enriching material to water-gas practically at the point of consumption of the water-gas. As this illuminant continues in the water-gas without material loss for some time, I thereby am enabled to practically avoid the deterioration of the enriched gas. My process also enables the mixing, in practically predetermined quantities, of two gases as, forinstance, acetylene and air, or acetylene and water-gas or coal-gas-tl1e whole being automatically controlled.

I do not broadly claim to be the inventor of the addition of acetylene to water-gas as an enricher; but the present invention is based upon a means of remedying a difficulty never known to exist, and the remedy of which never was discovered until my invention. That diffieulty consists in the fact that, unlike other enrichers, acetylene will disappear, in part at least, as an enricher, if it remains in contact with water-gas for a considerable timeas, for instance, during the period in which gas is stored in gas works until its delivery to the consumer. It is also based upon the discovery of the law that, unlike many other chemical combinations, the combination of the acetylene or its conversion into some other hydrocarbon does. not occur immediately, but only after a period of contact between the water-gas and the acetylene,

and that, therefore, the acetylene can be added at the place of consumption without losing its illuminating power, while it cannot be so added in the ordinary way at the works.

My invention will be readily understood from the accompanying drawings, in which Figure I represents an elevation, partly in section, of an apparatus for carrying out my invention; Fig. II, a detail of a double-port stop-cock; Fig. III, a view of the plug of a double-port stop-cock; Fig. IV, a view of the plug of a single-port stop-cock; Fig. V, a plan view of a governor operating a double-port stop-cock like that shown in Fig. III; Fig. VI, an elevation, partly in section, of a modification of the governor B shown in Fig. I.

In my drawings, A, B, and 0 represent three holders. Instead of the holders A and C ordinary gas-governors may be employed. The holder B serves both as a governor and as a mixing-chamber, and therefore, should preferably be arranged in the form of a holder, though in some cases two gas-governors and a mixing-chamber could be substituted, as will be hereinafter explained.

The holder A is provided with inlet-pipe D provided with governing-valve E. IVhen the holder A is filled to a certain point the gov erning-valve E is closed, and thereafter the pressure in A remains constant. The gas passes from A to B byapipe F providedwith governing-valve G, preferably of special form. The holder 0 is similarly constructed and similarly connected with the holder 13 through pipe H and governing-valve g. The pipes F and H unite in the common entrypipe M. The holder 13 is provided with delivery-pipe N, preferably distant as far as possible from the delivery-port pipe M. Of course the pipes F and II might be provided with independent delivery pipes into the holder 13. The governingcocks G g should be so constructed and adjusted as to open simultaneously and to present at whatever position of opening-ports having the same relative area-that is to say, at all points of the rise of the holder 13 the cooks G 9 should present the same relative area of opening-as, for instance, one to ten. Under these conditions, by making the pressures in A and O practically uniform the gas will be delivered into holder B practically in the proportion of one to ten. Of course, if necessary, allowance will be made for the difference of specific gravity of the two gases and theirconsequent rate of flow. This, however, is readily determined by experiment and adjustment of the relative size of the openings of the cocks. These valves or cocks may be constructed in any suitable Way, provided they comply with the conditions of constantly presenting openings bearing the same ratio to each other. A simple form consists in making the opening of the plug of an ordinary cock rectangular in section, with a corresponding entry through the cock-casing. By making the openings in one of the cooks ten times as wide as the opening in the other cook the ratio of delivery will be practically one to ten. A plug of such cock is shown in Fig. IV.

Instead of arranging the two independent cocks G g a single cock P, Figs. II and 111,

can be used, which will then be arranged as shown in Fig. V. In this cock the plug is hollow and has two external openings It 7* corresponding to similar ports in the shell of the cock. They are arranged to open simultaneously and deliver, as before described, rela- 1 tive proportional amounts of the enrichinggas and water-gas or air through the pipes F and H into the delivery-pipe M. These valves can also be arranged as shown in Fig. VI. In this case the ports are in side of the governin gholder B, and they are preferably arranged in the sides of two tubes S and T. lVhen the holder is down, as in the position shown in Fig. VI, the ports correspond. As the pressure rises the ports are simultaneously and relatively closed, being made of the determined proportion. Of course more than one port need not be used unless desired. As this form of valve is not absolutely tight (though entirely so for all practical purposes) I have arranged that at or about the point of mixing-chamber in the holder 13 the valves G 9 can be separately operated by governors simultaneously moving under equal press ure, and the gas led to a separate receiver.

Assuming the holder A to contain acetylene and the holder 0 water-gas, the mingled acetylene and water-gas uniting in the pipe M will As the holder be delivered into the holder B. rises the cooks G g or the cock P are closed until they deliver constantly the required amount of gas to the holder B which, mingling in the pipe M and the chamber of the holder,

escapes thence through pipe N to the point of combustion.

If two gas-governors are employed at G g delivering into a common delivery-pipe M the same result will be accomplished by making the areas of the delivery-valves of these governors in the desired ratio; but in this case Under these circumexceeding sensitiveness on the part of the governors is essential or else one such governor may supply an excess of the gas which it governs. I therefore much prefer two openings controlled by the same governor rather than two openings controlled by two governors.

It is obvious that the process of adding acetylene as an enricher at the point of consumption may be utilized in other ways besides that shown and by means of other apparatus.

Though-I prefer that the pressures in governors A and 0 shall be equal the apparatus can still be operative, even though these pressures be unequal though constant, in which case the areas of the ports in valves G g would be correspondinglyvaried, being proportionately less in area in that port which .governs the gas at higher pressure.

Of course if the areas of the ports remain constant a variable mixture of the gases may be made by varying the relative pressures upon the governors.

By the process herein described a single main can be used to supply heating-gas and illuminating gas, the illumination being added to such portion of the gas as it is desired to use for illuminating purposes, and the remainder of the gas being burned for fuel purposes.

I do not in this application claim addinga vapor-as, for instance, naphtha-vapor-to a combustible gas at the point of consumption, this invention being strictly limited to the addition of the fixed permanent gas acetylene practically at the point of consumption.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The process-of enriching combustible gas at the place of consumption, which consists in producing combustible gas at a distant point. in regulating at the place of consumption the pressure of the gas to a constant pressure independent of the pressure in the mains, in generating or supplying at the point of consumption acetylene gas anddelivering it to a mixing device where it is mingled with the previously-transmitted gas, also at a constant pressure, and in finally mingling the said two gases in their passage to the burner by thus adding the acetylene gas in a constant ratio r to the previously-transmitted gas, whatever be the consumption of the enriched gas, substantially as described.

2. The combination of two gas-governors maintaining constant pressures upon. their delivery sides, connections bringing together the two gases passing through said two governors, and a third governor simultaneously .governing the delivery from the first two governors by means of two delivery-ports of different areas, which two delivery-ports have constantly the same relative area at all points of their opening, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the governor A, and the governor 0, each connected with the valve P having double delivery-ports of different IIO erning the valve E and the valve a on the delivery-holder O, and the holder 0 controlling the valve L and the valve 1) on the deliveryholder A, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

E. N. DIOKERSON. Vitnesses:

ANTHONY GREF, H. CONTANT. 

